Making it big isn’t merely enough to reach (and successfully continue to be at) the top of the Hollywood food chain, you need more than just talent and fame for that. What you need is financial literacy, and Chris Pratt is a prime example of the same.
From doing small roles in films to headlining the intergalactic band of criminals belonging to one of the most flourishing superhero franchises, Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt metamorphosed from a rookie to a renowned name in the film industry in no time. But his rise to stardom taught him perhaps one of the most valuable lessons in his career, that of economic shrewdness.
Chris Pratt Regretted Blowing Through His First Big Paycheck
First paychecks are often memorable for their sentimental significance and their reminiscence of one’s diligence at the time. But Chris Pratt‘s first hefty salary as an actor is symbolic of equal ounces of ignorance and arrogance.
The first time Pratt, 45, witnessed the perks of the limelight in the form of a substantial $75k salary owing to his role in a TV movie, he was thunderstruck. The Jurassic World star admitted that as someone coming from humble origins, he’d never been particularly financially savvy. So, when he received what was then a mind-boggling sum to him, Pratt ended up spending it all in a frenzy of disbelief (via SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning).
I was under the impression that I would never run out of money. The first paycheck I got, I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ […] I was like, ‘I’m never gonna wait again. F**k you, b**ches, I am leaving.’ And then about two months later, I was like, ‘Where’d that money go?!’ […] That was just a crazy amount of money to me. I never could have possibly imagined making that amount of money and it went very quickly.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star voyaged to Hawaii and Australia and traveled pretty much around “the world” under the fallacious impression that his paycheck would never peter out. But of course, Pratt learned from his mistake.
The GotG Star Soon Learned the As and Bs of Finance
While Pratt was far from frugal with his initial earnings, he did ensure that he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. The Super Mario Bros. Movie star remarked how their family “never had money [when he was] growing up,” so it took him a while before he learned to be prudent with his funds.
I didn’t know what to do with money. It was like, it would come in, I would spend it…It took a good amount of time for me to, kind of, stop and say, ‘All right, I got to get wise about this. I have to think about what am I going to do. How am I going to get to the point where if I stop working one day I’ll still be okay, my family will be okay?
So, “coming up with a financial literacy plan” was one of the aspects of “growing up” that Pratt underwent at a much later stage in life.
But you know what they say, better late than never.
